Sylvan
by Earthborne
Summary: Running from the government, Naruto stows away on the airship Sylvan. He meets the crew with separate stories of their own and the enigmatic Sasuke, searching for 'Kyuubi' But Naruto holds the biggest secret of all, and the hunters are closing in fast SxN
1. Sinking Sunrise

This… is going to be an epic, I bet you. I have a general idea of where this is going, but once again, time is my enemy, and I have no idea when I'll finish this, along with everything else I have up. I always bite off more than I can chew. --" I blame it all on the SasuNaru plot bunnies humping my legs.

This is going to be an AU, which means ages are screwed around, characters have different pasts and so on. They're not even the same race, the characters. And they have super awesome powers too. Yeah… literally an Alternate Universe.

Warning: Genre: Romance, meaning there will be kissing, hugging, sappy speeches, heartfelt emotions, broken hearts, actions (non-explicit of course) and perhaps cuddling. Humour, meaning there will be sarcasm, cynicism, mockery, teasing, taunts, comedic situations including the colourful crew and the bubbly Naruto. Drama, meaning there will be clichés, heaps of action, a dash of originality and plots worthy of Korean dramas. Slash, meaning there will be boys kissing boys, boys molesting boys, boys shoving boys up against walls and making out with boys, boys sticking their hands down other boys' pants and boys falling in love with other boys.

P.S. The 'colour' and 'color,' 'favourite' and 'favorite' will change sometimes cos my Microsoft Word is set in American English (how's that for an oxymoron?) but my Mac is New Zealand English. I write all my fics on my Mac first.

Enjoy, lovely people.

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine.

* * *

"Alright, ready to leave this godforsaken planet?" Kakashi's voice crackled over the speakers. Kiba and Sasuke did some last minute checkups before replying.

"Cripes yes!" Kiba hollered.  
"Hn." Went Sasuke.  
Ino and Sakura looked up from perusing their cookbooks and yelled "Ready!"  
Silence from the last crew member.

"Shikamaru?"

"..."

"SHIKAMARU!" Crash, curse, and an extremely grumpy and tired voice replied, "Ready... mendoukusee..." Then he yawned and promptly fell asleep.

"Why do we keep that lazy bum around again?" Kiba whined good heartedly as he threw himself into a chair.

"Because he is the only person who understands how the ship works." Iruka explained patiently, steering the airship with ease.

"And no one else does?" The wild haired youth snarked.

"Well, Sasuke might a little bit, but Shikamaru made adjustments to this himself." Kakashi joined in on the conversation, "When I first got it was a tin can held together by spit and prayers. Now it's a tin can held together by spit and prayers with a very large gun." He grinned. Kiba snorted and flapped a hand.

"You're just mad he doesn't do any physical labour." Iruka teased, and Kiba barked a laugh. "Yo Mr. Dark and Brooding, what're you doing man?" He called over to a black haired youth who sat at a computer and was typing furiously. Mr. Dark and Brooding barely spared him a glance. "Research." He intoned, and continued.  
"Aww man! Why is it always research with you, Sasuke?" Kiba complained, and then narrowed his eyes. "It's about Kyuubi again isn't it?" Sasuke didn't reply. Kiba scoffed.

"Why do you insist on chasing after a fairytale?"

"You know why." Sasuke's voice was icy.

"Yeah, yeah, revenge for your clan and everything." Kiba mumbled quietly, not quite willing to go over the line any further. Ino came sprinting into the room a second later, looking frantic. "There's a stowaway." She announced, and all the men turned to stare at her. Only Sasuke looked at her once before returning to his computer.

"I was using my telepathy to find where Shika had fallen asleep again when I felt an unfamiliar mind." Ino explained, brushing her blonde locks out of her eyes.

"Where?" Kakashi said sharply. Ino shook her head. "You know I can't pinpoint them when they're unfamiliar. All I know is that they're somewhere in the engine room."

"Kiba. Sasuke. Find the stowaway." Kakashi ordered.

"But that place is huge!" Kiba protested.

"Use your abilities." The white haired man suggested.

"And deafen myself? It's way too noisy in there!"

"Then use the old fashioned way. Search." His tone finalized the argument.

Grumbling, Kiba followed Sasuke out of the cockpit and descended the elevator to the engine room. Kiba, already with heightened senses without activating his talent, winced at the sheer volume. Sasuke grabbed a wooden stick from besides the entrance and began to pace the room, poking at places. Still muttering about dictatorial captains and emo ice cubes, Kiba searched as well.

Ten minutes later, Kiba cracked. "ARGH! Why do we have to find this bloody stowaway? Why don't we just lock the doors and let him starve to death in here or something?" He stamped his feet. Sasuke took no notice. His head shot up when he heard strange noises over the gyrating of the engine room's pistons.

Sasuke looked up. Soft, shuffling sounds came from the ceiling. Leaping up into the air, he rose at least four metres before he reached the top. With one sharp jab of the stick, the panelling tilted and gave the game away - a blond, orange and cursing profusely heap tumbled down onto the hard, unforgiving floor.  
"OW!" It complained, and turned out to be a boy around Kiba's age, probably younger, with a shock of bright butter yellow hair and clear blue eyes. There were strange whisker marks on his face.

He rubbed his back and behind, both of which he had fallen on. He looked up, and saw Sasuke standing there; stick in hand and an eyebrow raised over one onyx eye. The blond had the decency to look sheepish. "Uh... hi?" He ventured guiltily, giving a tiny, cautious wave. Whack. The stowaway clutched his head and yowled in pain as Sasuke's ever-useful stick bopped him over the head.

"What was that for, teme!?" He howled.

"Dobe." Sasuke deadpanned.

The blond spluttered. "Don't call me that! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and don't you forget it!" He pointed a finger at Sasuke. Whack. Kiba snickered in the background.

"You're a stowaway." Sasuke intoned, shifting his grip on the stick subtly.

"Well thanks for stating the obvious!" Naruto said sarcastically, rubbing the bump on his head. Whack. Naruto yelled as the stick collided with the side of his head.

"Leave."

"And go where?! This is the middle of space you know!"

"I don't care. Leave."

The stick descended again, but Naruto had had enough. He grabbed the stick. Kiba's eyes widened slightly, but Sasuke remained impassive. With one terrific yank, he tugged Naruto to his feet. The blond lurched forward with a yelp. Sasuke let go of the stick and clamped his hand around Naruto's wrist in an iron grip. His other hand shot out and grabbed the front of Naruto's jacket, and in one smooth, graceful move, he performed a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw.

Naruto landed on his back, again, though this time with more force. All the wind rushed out of his lungs and he lay there, gasping for breath and trying to ignore the shooting pain that lanced up his spine.

Kiba walked forward. "I wouldn't anger Sasuke anymore, dude, he's a wicked combat expert." Naruto looked up at him with incredulity. He looked at Sasuke, whose face was still a mask of apathy.

"Trust me, I would know." Kiba said, reading Naruto's mind. "It took me at least five years to read his masks." He held a hand out. Naruto took it gratefully, wincing as he was pulled up.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba, crew member of the airship Sylvan." Kiba introduced himself, taking an instant liking to the loudmouthed blond. Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Birds of a feather flock together, _he thought darkly. "We'll let Kakashi deal with him." Sasuke said abruptly, and left.

Kiba rolled his eyes too and gave Naruto a shrug, and ushered him along.  
"Did he hide that stick up his ass?" Naruto asked in a loud whisper. Kiba rocked with laughter. Sasuke didn't react, save for a slight tensing of his shoulder.

"Naw, man. He's just like that. He lightens up once you get to know him." Kiba explained, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"What do you think the captain will do with me?" Naruto asked worriedly, afraid that Sasuke might just follow up on his threat and chuck him out into space.

"He's nice, he'll probably let you stay if you work for your room and board. But first, you'll have to explain to him why you're here. And you better not lie about it either, Kakashi can tell if you're lying." Kiba tapped his left eye. Naruto whistled. "So do all of you have special powers?"

"Most of us. Sasuke here, as you unfortunately experienced first hand, is a genius fighter. Ino, one of our cooks has telepathy, and a bit of ESP. Sakura, our other cook, has telekinesis. There's Shikamaru, laziest bum this side of the multiverse. He doesn't have any powers but he's terrifyingly smart, so that's a gift by itself. Iruka, our second in command, doesn't have any powers either, but let me tell you, he can persuade anyone to do anything. If you ask me, he's the one that wears the pants in this ship." Kiba grinned. "And I, the great Inuzuka Kiba, has heightened senses. Once I activate mine, I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox, the nose of a dog and -"

"Shut up." Sasuke snapped, and opened the cockpit's door.

"Yo." Kakashi waved, looking up from an eye-violating orange book. Naruto stared. _Wasn't that - ?  
_"Name's Hatake Kakashi. How are you?" A hand shot out in front of his nose. Naruto blinked. _When had that silver haired man moved? _"Uzumaki Naruto. I'm good." He said slowly, shaking his hand and trying to gauge this man. He had a mask over his nose and tinted goggles of some kind that tilted at an angle on his head, covering his left eye. "Sorry about sneaking onto the ship." Naruto apologised, rubbing the back of his head.

Kakashi's eye curved up into an arc. "No problem. Any reason why?" He asked casually. Naruto decided to take Kiba's advice and come out with the truth. Or at least, a bit of it. From what he learned about truth seekers, you can evade their questions unless they ask you directly, or you can omit truths. Tell half-lies, if you will.

"Well, I'm on the run." He said bluntly. No one looked surprised. Sasuke scoffed, and Naruto glared at him.

"From...?" Kakashi prompted.

"The government. The research facility actually." He looked unwilling to go any further, but he wasn't in a situation to be stubborn. Kakashi pondered this "Powers?" He asked, looking at the blond critically. Naruto shrugged. "None that I know of, I just heal really quick and I have super endurance to just about anything."

Kakashi nodded, and came to a decision. "Well, you're welcome to stay, as long as you work for your room and board, I'll introduce you to the crew at dinner time."

"If you house a fugitive you become a criminal too." Sasuke said, his arms folded over his chest. He wasn't going against Kakashi's decision; he was just stating a fact. Naruto hated him already, and stuck his tongue out at an indifferent Sasuke.

"What does it matter? We've got a whole universe to hide." Kakashi said flippantly, "And I'm already a criminal too!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Well, I haven't paid taxes in a decade." The captain said defensively. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to leave. He missed the twinkle in Kakashi's eyes. "Oh no you don't. Sasuke, why don't you show Naruto his room? I'm sure you know which one."

Kiba spluttered. "What! The last spare room is beside Sasuke's! You want Naruto to die of morbidity!?" Naruto looked horrified. Kakashi flapped a hand. "He'll be fine. He might even cheer Sasuke up!" The room was dead silent at this. Kakashi flushed after a while. "Ok, that was a lie. But Naruto has to stay there, unless you're willing to swap?"

Kiba shook his head furiously. "Sorry man," Kiba said apologetically, "But you'll just have to stick it out." Naruto shrugged, and eyed the dark cloud that hung over Sasuke's head. "I'll be fine." Nobody believed it, not even Naruto himself.

"Kakashi? Has the stowaway been found yet?" A voice, lighter than Kakashi's, came from the doorway. Naruto turned to see a man, around his late twenties, with brown hair and a curious scar across his nose. Iruka, Naruto supposed. Kakashi pointed at Naruto. Iruka gasped. "Look at him! He's half starved to death! He's staying until he's well enough to leave." Iruka commanded, and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and hauled him out of the cockpit. Kakashi's eye curved up again and he went back to his book.

Iruka pulled Naruto along to the kitchen, until Sasuke, who had been following, spoke up. "You know the girls hate to be interrupted while they're cooking."

Iruka stopped. He looked torn between wanting to feed Naruto and fearing the girls' sulking for days afterwards. Sasuke sighed. "I have some nutrition bars in my bunk." He offered. Naruto stared, as did Iruka. "Oh... uh, sure." Iruka let go of Naruto's shoulders.

Sasuke beckoned and turned, walking the other way. Naruto looked at Iruka, as if asking if it was okay to follow the rather dangerous man. Iruka laughed, and pushed him along. "Go on, he doesn't bite. Dinner bell rings around half-moon."

Naruto jogged at a slow pace behind Sasuke, then stopped when he reached the other. Naruto disliked the boy, but he figured if they were going to be living on the ship together he could at least try to tolerate him. He cleared his throat. Sasuke tried to stop a groan; the blond wanted to talk.

"So... uh, how old are you?" Naruto ventured. Sasuke debated on answering. "Nineteen." He finally answered.

"Wow, really? I'm twenty already, though I don't look it." Naruto chirped. Sasuke swung around to stare at Naruto, who looked, at best, sixteen. He was a whole head taller than the blond. Naruto huffed. "I know I look small okay?" He grumbled.  
"Scrawny is more like it." Sasuke muttered. Naruto swelled in anger. "Gee, aren't you nice, teme?"  
"..."

Naruto hated silences, more than he hated Sasuke at least, so he started conversation again. "So how long have you been here?"

"Twelve years."

"Since you were seven!?" Naruto whistled. "How come?" Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He turned around and slammed Naruto against the wall before the blond could blink. He coughed as he tried to get air in his lungs.

"Shut up. Stop asking me questions that's none of your business." Sasuke snarled, and then let him go. Naruto dropped to his feet and rubbed his much abused back, though the pain was already receding.

Naruto glared at Sasuke's retreating form, and imagined all kinds of painful deaths for the dark haired youth. He scowled and continued after Sasuke. But he couldn't help himself, his curiosity was already piqued; seven was much too young an age to be working on a ship, even in the harsh and unforgiving world of space-life. Naruto grinned foxily as he thought of ways he could irritate the answers out of Sasuke.

* * *

Ok, that's the first chapter. Reviews are fully appreciated and much loved. 


	2. Murdering Moonlight

Sorry this chapter is kind of short (and perhaps slightly rushed) guys, but exams are coming up and I won't be able to update for a while, so I decided to get rid of all the pent-up creative juices before I lose them. --"

Disclaimer: This morning when I looked into the mirror, I was not male and Japanese, and certainly not Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

"Here." Sasuke intoned, and opened the door of his bunk. It opened with a pneumatic hiss, and he stepped in. Naruto followed him, and looked around. Sparse furnishings in the small, grey-walled room, but there was an impressive bookcase full of thick volumes. Naruto explored further; books about folklore, myths and conspiracy theories. _Great,_ Naruto thought miserably, _he's nuts._

Sasuke turned around with two nutrition bars, and was shocked to find Naruto _in his room and looking through his stuff._ Sasuke opened his mouth to yell at the blond, but stopped. Well, he never did tell the blond to not come into his room. Sasuke scowled.  
"Dobe." Naruto looked up just in time to catch the bars that Sasuke threw at him. He grinned.

"Thanks!" He chirped, and Sasuke stared at the blond's never ending cheer.

"Sasuke-kun! Dinner's ready!" A high, girlish voice called. Naruto and Sasuke both looked up to see a girl, about eighteen, with long pink hair, large smile and a larger forehead at the doorway. She froze when she saw Naruto.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" She asked, looking towards the raven for an answer. The raven shrugged.

"He's the stowaway."

"Oh! Oh." She said after a while. She continued to look confused.

"Are you okay? You look upset." Naruto asked, pocketing the two bars. Sakura goggled; those were the bars she gave Sasuke!

"Miss?" Naruto asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She snapped out of her daze.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." She plastered a smile on her face. _I'm not fine!_ She thought, _no one's ever been inside Sasuke's room before! And he's never shared anything before! Shannaro!_

"Sakura. Stop standing there." Sasuke said. She jumped out of his way as he pushed past her.

"You could be a bit nicer you know, teme!" Naruto yelled down the corridor. Sakura stared at him in shock.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. You must be Sakura!" Naruto said as he turned around and stuck his hand out. Sakura shook it cautiously.

"So what're we having for dinner?" Naruto asked as they walked to the kitchen.

"Chicken curry." She mumbled absently.

"Awesome! I bet it's really nice!" Naruto sniffed the air. "It IS nice!" He crowed, and rushed down the path.

Naruto skidded to a stop next to the door from which the delicious smell was coming from. He walked in to find Sasuke seated at the table, surrounded by plates and dishes of chicken curry heaped on rice. Sakura arrived a minute later and rang a bell. It echoed through the ship. Naruto cocked his head.  
"Why is Sasuke-yaro here first?" He asked innocently. Sakura blushed and stammered.

"W-Well..."

"It's cos she's got a _cruuuush_ on Sasuke that's why." Kiba sing-songed as he hopped into the kitchen, "Aw man, that's nice!" He sniffed appreciatively. Naruto stared at Sakura, wondering if there was a screw, or maybe five, that were jostled loose in her head.

"What have our lovely ladies cooked for us today?" Iruka said as he came in, Kakashi in tow. Or more accurately, Kakashi was draped over Iruka and was nuzzling the brown haired man's neck. Iruka blushed and tried to pry him off, but the captain stuck on. Naruto grinned at the affectionate display.

"Chicken curry." Came another voice, this one a bit lower and firmer than Sakura's fluttery falsetto. A platinum blonde girl stepped in, dragging a man behind her. For a second Naruto thought she had killed him, and then realized that the man was actually sleeping. His hair was in a strange high ponytail, the ends sticking out at odd angles. _This must be Shikamaru,_ he thought, then winced as Ino dumped him unceremoniously onto the floor, the man's head coming down with a heavy thunk.

"He fell asleep again?" Iruka said sympathetically.

"I don't know why I like him. His hair looks like a tropical fruit, and I bet his head is full of said tropical fruit too!" Ino huffed. A groan came from the floor. They looked down to see Shikamaru leaning his head on one hand as he regarded his girlfriend. He gave her a slow, lazy smile, and she blushed to the roots of her hair.

"But you love me anyway." He said as he stood up, dusting himself off. Ino continued to blush, looking irritated. Sakura nudged her playfully.

"That's why." She said teasingly, and dodged a swipe from Ino.

"Alright crew. As I'm sure you've noticed, we have a new addition to our family. Naruto, if you would please introduce yourself?" Kakashi announced as they all went to their respective places. Naruto ended up sitting at the end, opposite Sasuke with Ino and Shikamaru beside him. Sasuke looked over the top of his interlaced fingers and gave him a challenging glare. Naruto glared back before he stood up.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and it's nice to meet you all!" He cried and pumped a fist in the air.

Everyone else (except Sasuke of course) smiled at his bubbly attitude. They all began to introduce themselves. Kiba started, even though Naruto knew him already.  
"I'm Inuzuka Kiba, Canyne and I have heightened senses! I joined this crew four years ago!" Naruto had guessed as much from his eyes and the markings on his cheeks, making him a distinctive Canyne.

Sakura smiled at him, "I'm Haruno Sakura, Faer and cook for this ship. I have telekinesis and I joined five years ago." Her viridian eyes were larger and brighter than a human's, and her pink hair gave her away. Ino reached a gloved hand out, which Naruto shook. Her grip was steady. "I'm Yamanaka Ino, Faer and cook also. I have telepathy, a bit of ESP and I joined five years ago with Sakura." Her azure eyes were large and slightly tilted, and her skin was almost translucent in its paleness.

Shikamaru reached a hand out too, his hand roughly callused, and his grip surprisingly firm, despite looking like he was about to fall asleep. "Nara Shikamaru. Human. No powers, just a very lazy engineer." Naruto blinked; that was brutally honest. "And I've been here from nearly the beginning." His eyes were drooped in sleep, but when he opened them, they were sharp and calculating. His skin was lightly tanned and he was well muscled.

Sasuke looked at Naruto straight in the eye and mumbled, "Uchiha Sasuke. Half Faer and half Human. Combat expert. Twelve years." Naruto nodded, having been wondering how a Human could have such pale skin. His eyes were only a bit larger than the norm, the colour a deep charcoal black that you couldn't see the pupils of. It made him fathomless and hard to read. His chin was sharp, his jaw tight and his cheekbones sculpted; Naruto could see why Sakura would be star-struck by him. And it really didn't help that because he was a natural-born fighter, his body was lean, less muscle and wirier, built for speed and skill rather than brute force.

Iruka shook hands with Naruto also, his hand rather rough, but soft and warm all the same. "Umino Iruka. Fulmari, no powers to speak of but second in command."  
"And mother of us all." Kakashi pitched in, and everyone laughed, and Naruto understood that Iruka must be a very mother hen kind of person. Iruka reddened, but didn't deny it. Kakashi gave Naruto a strong, reliable handshake, and grinned at him - the mask was off, and Naruto noted that he had an angular face and humorous eyes, making him a very attractive man. "Hatake Kakashi, Fulmari, true sight and Captain of the Sylvan."

Naruto grinned widely, "It's wonderful to meet you all," he said again, truly happy for the first time in a very, very long time. Kakashi nodded his approval and sat down, motioning for everyone to eat.

"Oh!" Sakura said, a hand at her mouth, "Sorry Naruto, I forgot we needed an extra plate." Naruto looked at his empty space forlornly. She turned towards the drawers. Her clear emerald eyes clouded slightly as the drawer slid open by itself and a plate, complete with knife, fork and spoon, slid out and joined them at the table. She heaped some rice onto the plate and spread the curry over it. Naruto's stomach growled in anticipation. Everyone laughed.

Naruto ate with stunning speed. Kiba, who was known to wolf down his food, stared as Naruto practically _inhaled_ his dinner. Even Sasuke stared for a while.  
"This is SO good! I've never had such good food!" Naruto said as he ladled his tenth plate. Kakashi could tell he had already gotten onto the good side of the two volatile girls, and grinned to himself. Now the only person left to be won over by the bright blond, was... Sasuke. Kakashi winced; _that is going to be a hard task._

"Sasuke-kun? Would you like more curry?" Sakura asked sweetly from beside the stoic boy. He never replied, but she tried anyway. Ino frowned and shook her head. Kakashi and Iruka looked sympathetic, while Kiba avoided the scene altogether and Shikamaru dozed. Sakura sighed and turned away, when suddenly, the table jumped.

Everyone stared. Sasuke's hand had stopped on its ascent to his mouth, the delicious curry still on the spoon. He glowered across at Naruto, who glared right back. Kakashi at once understood; Naruto had kicked Sasuke from under the table. Catching the eyes of everyone at the table, he moved away slightly from the table. Everyone else did the same; Ino dragged her boyfriend away. The staring competition intensified.

Kick. Naruto blinked from the pain, but he didn't wince. His eyes shot ocular fire.  
Kick. Sasuke scowled, but he didn't back down. His glare single-handedly reversed global warming.

Back and forth, this went, until their dinners had cooled and both of their shins were black and blue. "Enough!" Kakashi yawned; entertaining as it was, it was also time to wash up. Sakura levitated the dishes to the sink, where Kiba rolled his sleeves up, since it was his turn to wash. Iruka grabbed the drying dishtowel. Kakashi wandered off and Ino finally got her boyfriend to move of his own volition.

It was getting late and they were still going at it. Naruto had an advantage, since he healed super quick, but Sasuke's kicks were devastating. Their eyes were both watering from the pain, but neither spoke, neither quit.

Iruka finally had enough. "Alright boys. Just go to bed now, okay? There's no point sitting there and kicking each other until the cows come home!"  
Naruto stopped kicking, as did Sasuke. Their hands were splayed on the table, their dinner long since cleared away. They shot up from their seats at the same time, and glared across at each other as they both limped, out of the kitchen and down the corridors to their bunks.

They stopped at their respective doors.

"Teme." Naruto spat.

"Dobe." Sasuke replied in kind.

"This isn't over."

"Hn."

And they both opened their doors, and disappeared inside. They glared at each other through the steel walls all night.

* * *

Reviews are much loved and fully appreciated! Give me something to smile about during times of terrible exam stress. Wish me luck, cos Maths is one of my most horrible subjects. 


	3. Scintillating Stars

Hiya lovely reviwers, time for another instalment of _Sylvan!_

As response to a question, I make up all the names of the different species/races. You can still recognise some of the races because they either sound similar to our own or are a mixed up version of a word that describes them. The most obvious, of course, being Kiba: Canyne, if pronounced, sounds exactly like Canine. Of course it doesn't actually mean he's a dog… o.o

Note: Quickedit always screws up my format... so yeah. It also seemed longer in Word. ::guilty::

Enjoy the intrigue and (attempted) subtle hints at plot. Yes, plot. I am not unfamiliar with the word. -.-"

Disclaimer: Still applies.

* * *

Kabuto winced when another blood curdling scream pierced through the lab, and that was saying something, since the white walls were built to be soundproof. The grey-haired man pushed up his round glasses and walked in through the room, narrowly missing a dismembered limb that flew across the room. 

Orochimaru stood in the midst of the gore, his usually beautiful face marred by anger and bits of flesh. He held a pair of pliers in his hand, the area around him littered with ripped out fingernails. The man being tortured was chained to a chair; his head slumped forward as waves of agonising pain tore through him.

"If you kill anymore we won't have any guards left." Kabuto said, pushing his hands deep into his lab coat's pockets. Orochimaru glared at him. Kabuto put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Just stating the truth." He mumbled; Orochimaru could act like a petulant child sometimes, and that was the only reason Kabuto hadn't tried to stop the Quilong's tantrums. But the guard ranks were decreasing rather alarmingly, and it was going to be a bitch to train more.

"How could they have let him go!?" Orochimaru shrieked, stabbing the man with the pliers.

"They didn't let him go. He escaped, with the mirror boy and that Zabuza guard."  
Orochimaru muttered under his breath. "All for love! The most useless thing in the universe!" He cursed, his anger making his fake skin ripple with scales. "How's the search?" He snapped. Kabuto shook his head.

"The seekers are having a bit of trouble with the tracking chip. I've interrogated some civilians, but no one saw him. I think they're covering up for him, but they have someone powerful on their side that's blocking my Sight." Kabuto said, sulking.  
Orochimaru snarled, then brushed past Kabuto and stalked down the chrome hallways to the lab.

"Two decades of researching, to come up with less than nothing!" The Quilong hissed, typing furiously into the computer, "I know that he is the Kyuubi, his cursed father, his regenerative powers, the damn whiskers and the birthmark proves everything!" Orochimaru banged a fist on the table. Kabuto wisely stayed silent in the shadows. They didn't come up with less than nothing; they'd made great discoveries in leaps and bounds by studying the Kyuubi vessel. But unless the legendary fox actually came out and slapped the Quilong in the face, Orochimaru tended to exaggerate.

"He has past puberty! What will it take to awaken the power?" The head of research said under his breath, calling up all the data on Naruto that he could. The snake disguising as a man brushed his long black hair out of his eyes impatiently.

"He was a very late developer though." Kabuto finally spoke, "The constant beating he received must have stunted his growth. The body worked harder to repair itself than build it."  
Orochimaru glowered at him, but didn't dismiss the theory; Kabuto was a genius, and he wasn't about to deny something so logical just for pride.

"So what will it take for the Kyuubi to show itself?" He demanded, his yellow eyes trained on his protégé. Kabuto bowed his head, the dim light from the computers glinting off his glasses. The genius shrugged, not quite willing to propose a hypothesis that he knew his boss would hate.

It was, after all, as Orochimaru said, the most useless thing in the universe.

XxX

Naruto woke up feeling satisfied and warm. _Must have been too tired from all the running for the nightmares_ He thought to himself groggily, as he rolled out of bed and scratched at the marking on his stomach, rubbing at some sore scars that were healing slowly. He scratched at a persistent itch on his waist, rubbing at the prickling spot.

Finishing his morning ablutions, he'd just pulled his shirt over his head when the door banged open.  
"Wake up sunshine! Today's your first day of back-breaking slave labour!" Kakashi announced as he burst into Naruto's room. The blond jumped a foot into the air.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" He hollered.

"Not on my own ship." Kakashi replied cheekily, winking at him. Naruto couldn't really tell, since half his face was covered, but he glared at the captain anyway.

All of a sudden, a panel of the steel wall that separated Naruto's room with that of Sasuke's slid open, and a pair of black, and very pissed eyes peered through. Naruto jumped another foot in the air and screamed incoherently.  
"Shut up." Sasuke hissed, and slammed the panel shut.

"What the hell was that?!" Naruto shrieked, jabbing a finger at the panel, which seemed to have disappeared. Kakashi scratched his head.

"Well I was going to tell you later, but now's fine." Kakashi steered Naruto into a chair. "You see, these two rooms are joined together because this used to be an interrogation room... or should I say, torture chamber."  
Naruto paled. Kakashi nodded solemnly, and was very glad that the mask he had on his face covered his grin.

"It really took us forever to clean the messages in blood off these walls you know." Kakashi continued in an offhand tone, and Naruto let out a small squeak. The captain slapped him on the back, and Naruto almost flew off his chair.

"Come on Naruto! Let's get working! I'll have Iruka show you what to do, after we get Mr. Grumpy." Kakashi slammed his palm onto a different panel and it slid open. Sasuke glared through, his shirt still slightly rumpled from tugging it on. The Uchiha sneered and left the room without so much as giving either of them a nod.  
Naruto fumed. Kakashi shook his silver head.  
"That boy really needs to get laid." The captain said sadly, shaking his head. Naruto's head swivelled around to stare at him.

"Oops. Did I say that out loud?" Kakashi said innocently, one hand at his mouth and his eye twinkling in an arc.

Naruto gave him a strange look and left the room, glancing over his shoulder every now and then at the captain who was humming happily and perusing the orange book.  
"Morning everyone!" Naruto cried as he jumped into the kitchen. The occupants chorused a reply. Shikamaru munched away on his toast like he was chewing cud. Kiba was eating a huge meal of mostly meat, and Iruka ate cereal. Ino and Sakura fluttered about, eating a bite of fruit every now and then.

"What'll you have Kakashi?" Sakura asked, blowing a strawberry pink lock of hair out of her eyes. Kakashi walked over to Iruka and grabbed the brunet's spoon, eating the cereal before Iruka could protest.

"Iruka." Kakashi grinned. Iruka slapped him on the shoulder.

"Go get your own bowl." He said cheerfully. Kakashi acted hurt and whimpered. Ino laughed as she set down another bowl of cereal for Kakashi besides Iruka.

"Naruto?" Ino asked, wiping her hands on her blue apron.

"Do you have any ramen?" Naruto asked eagerly. The two girls looked at each other.

"Naruto, that's for lunch or dinner." Sakura said incredulously.

"But ramen's nice any time of day!" Naruto whined. Ino threw her hands up.

"Will instant do?" She asked. Naruto nodded so hard his head almost came off. Ino muttered under her breath as she poured boiling water over a paper cup.

Naruto had just sat down to his breakfast when he noticed an absence of gloom-and-doom. "Where's Sasuke-yaro?" He asked as he slurped his noodles. Sakura hit him upside the head.

"Ow!" He complained, more indignant about the fact that some noodles were lost than the slap.

"Don't call Sasuke-kun that!" Sakura snapped. Then she sobered. "Sasuke-kun doesn't eat breakfast, he prefers to start the day with -" She made a face, "research." Naruto marvelled at the girl's bi-polar temperament.

"No such thing!" Naruto yelled as he jumped up, cup noodle in his hand. "Ino, can you please make me some more ramen?" He asked nicely. Ino raised an eyebrow but since it was easy she didn't complain - much. Naruto grabbed the extra cup and another pair of chopsticks before dashing off. The others stared at each other. _He's not going to...?  
_  
After searching, he found Sasuke in a dimly lit room, tapping away at a worn keyboard, pieces of scrunched paper besides him and heavy tomes on the ground. Naruto tiptoed around them, before he plopped himself down beside Sasuke on a spare chair and brought the cup ramen down slowly in front of Sasuke's face.  
The raven blinked, surprised, then scowled at the delicious smell and brightly coloured packaging as if they insulted him personally.

"Ramen." Naruto chirped, as if it wasn't obvious enough.

"No." Sasuke poured as much intimidation and carbon dioxide as he could into his glower, but Naruto didn't budge.

"Come on!" Naruto insisted, "you don't function properly throughout the day unless you have breakfast. It's been proven too!"

"Your point being?"

"You'd probably be less grouchy if you had some food in you?"

"I'm not grouchy." Sasuke said testily. Naruto grinned.

"I rest my case." The blond said smugly.

Sasuke blinked, and kicked himself mentally for having fallen for it, and for reacting to Naruto's incessant chatter. Normally he ignored annoying people or he glared at them until they left, but the inane boy seemed to be oblivious to the natural human instinct of fear and survival.  
"No." He sighed, and tried to concentrate on the monitor's screen. The words seemed to be dancing tango. He rubbed at his tired eyes and looked at them again. Now they're doing river dance. He was slightly worried; was it possible to develop dyslexia?

"Seeeee?" Naruto dragged the word out, which grated against Sasuke's nerves, and nudged the cup towards him again. Sasuke ground away a few more layers of enamel.

"No." He bit out through his teeth, ignoring the tempting wafts of ramen aroma. His stomach almost rumbled, but with the patented Iron Uchiha Will he suppressed it. Naruto pouted. "It's not a request! Listen to your elders!" And Naruto toppled off the chair, laughing hysterically.

Sasuke couldn't stop the tiny twitch of his lips as he watched the blond roll on the ground, clutching his stomach, the black shirt he wore riding up. Sasuke caught a glimpse of strange, spiky calligraphic writing that started at the older boy's navel and spiralled around in a circle. But what startled him most were the angry, jagged lines that streaked across Naruto's back, and around his stomach. Some looked like they were burned into the flesh, others were cut, or maybe whipped, onto the small blond. There were signs of deep lacerations, massive contusions and haemorrhage. Sasuke felt cold to the core at the sheer brutality inflicted on Naruto, and a chill that was a subtle forewarning of his temper flared to life inside him.

He was just about to demand an explanation when Iruka entered the room, took one look at Naruto, who was still chuckling weakly, and shook his head.  
"Get ready you two. Naruto, meet me in the cockpit; I have to brief you on your job. I'll also pick up some clothes for you while you're gone, okay?" Iruka smiled as he left, chuckling when he heard Naruto shouting about orange, feeling good about the newest crew member.  
Sasuke nodded, and raised an eyebrow at Naruto, who let out tiny peals of chuckles every now and then. The raven decided he'd ask later; no need to trouble the rookie on his first day.

Naruto climbed back up, his face flushed and red from the lack of oxygen due to laughing.  
"Ne, Sasuke-yaro. Just eat the ramen, kay?" He gave the raven his best winning smile and jogged out of the room, humming a strange bubbly tune to himself, scratching his hip. Sasuke stared at the ramen, which, thankfully, was still hot enough to not be disgusting and the noodles not too soggy.

"Ramen isn't for breakfast." He murmured to himself, but picked up the chopsticks anyway.

XxX

Naruto yawned as he stretched, walking into the room to find Kakashi steering the ship, Sakura and Ino bickering over one thing or another and Kiba grinning smugly. Iruka flipped through some coloured documents and scrolls.  
"What am I supposed to be doing anyway?" Naruto queried as he dropped himself down onto a spare chair.

"You're to be delivering some documents to a client of ours." Iruka explained as he frowned at some data, "we're a delivering service, we transfer documents and merchandise across the Rasen system. We also have a one hundred percent success record, so don't fail us!" Iruka said.

"I won't!" Naruto said, happy to be doing something other than running away from the government. Iruka smiled at him then rifled through the papers until he got to a pink one. He grimaced slightly.

"Okay. I hate to give this to you as your first job, but this is a top priority, and it's Kiba's day off. Since Kiba and Sasuke were once the messengers, with you we get to have a roster now. So you'll be going with Sasuke -"

"What? I have to go with him?!" Naruto whined. Iruka laughed.

"Afraid so. Don't worry, it's quick."  
Naruto pouted, but didn't say anything else.

"You're going to have to go the more shady areas of this Station, into a bar called... Narcissus." Iruka raised an eyebrow. "It's a strip club, but you sort of look seventeen so you should -"

"I'm twenty." Naruto cut in, watching Iruka patiently.

Iruka dropped his handful of files. Ino and Sakura stopped their bickering. Kiba's smirk slid off his face and was replaced by a dumbfounded one. Kakashi almost crashed into an asteroid. All of them turned to stare at the small boy who was perched on an armchair that dwarfed him.  
"Argh!" Kiba screamed, jumping to his feet, "you're older than me!? You look sixteen but _I'm_ not legal to go into strip clubs yet?!" He tore at his wild hair. Naruto blinked.

"You're sixteen?" He asked; the brunet seemed eighteen.

"Sixteen years, eight months and twenty-three days!" The Canyne howled.

"He's counting till he's legal." Kakashi explained to Naruto. The blond nodded slowly.

"What now?" Sasuke snapped as he walked into the cockpit, chucking the empty ramen cup away and glaring at Kiba, source of part of his irritation (Naruto held the most part). Ino looked at her best friend and found Sakura staring at the rubbish bin with absolute awe. She nudged the rosette. Sakura whispered to Ino, and the blonde's eyes widened too.

"The n00b is older than me! He's twenty!" Kiba pointed the Indignant Finger at Naruto.

"Yeah. So?" Sasuke deadpanned. Kiba spluttered.

"Damnit!" Kiba screeched and left the cockpit muttering curses.

Iruka picked up the dropped files, muttering to himself about preservatives and stunted growth. He picked up the pink one again, and slid it carefully into a hard, black tube with some sort of complicated lock and a digital screen. He chose another paper, this one pink too but must have been a fake because Iruka simply chucked it in.

"Right. Sasuke gets the real copy. Naruto, you'll hold the decoy. These are very special containers, designed by Shikamaru. They are made of Selenbrium, which is virtually indestructible. It has voice recognition, fingerprinting, retina scan and a fourteen digit number code lock." Iruka explained, pointing at all the different places. "The documents inside will explode if you try to force it open, enter any of the keys incorrectly three times, or basically just try to open it in any way except unlocking the locks."  
Naruto goggled. Iruka chuckled.

"But you'll only need voice recognition and the number lock this time. Sasuke can fill you in on anything else. So, ready?"  
Naruto nodded eagerly, and jumped up, grabbing his decoy. Sasuke caught his from Iruka.

"Iruka. I don't think Naruto should go to this place." Sasuke spoke up, scanning the address and memorising it immediately. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"What! You think I can't take it?" Naruto yelled. Sasuke ignored him.

"Kiba has the day off. He's already arranged a date with his girlfriend Hinata, and I can't let you go alone. Naruto'll be fine, Sasuke." Iruka assured. Sasuke blew his dark hair out of his face and grumbled under his breath.

* * *

It's so much easier to write when you actually know where you're going. -.-" 

Now will Sasuke's intuition be proven correct? Find out next chapter! Which will definitely be more exciting… These first three is just to warm up… or so I keep telling myself… o.o I've never been one to write breathtaking epic drama.

So review. It speeds it up, I swear. XD


	4. Solar Solstice

So I decided to update this first, instead of Twelfth Night, which I originally intended. I dunno, I just didn't really feel like writing TN. I'm procrastinating (again); I'm supposed to be writing a speech on introductions... and my topic is Fairytale Kingdom. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a masochist. O.o

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love you all dearly! XD There's a teeny bit of fluff in this chap as a present.

Warning: Yaoi. Sheesh, you wonder why nobody warns you if it's het. Anyway, there's some OOCness here for Sasuke as well, though I wouldn't really know cos I haven't watched anime or read the manga much. Oh, and Quickedit screwed my formatting over royally too. Can ANYONE tell me why sometimes the spaces I put in front of the speech marks are left there and sometimes they're removed?!

Disclaimer: Making no money off this, I swear.

* * *

Kakashi guided the airship into the port after checking in, sliding into the clamps with silk ease. Sasuke grabbed Naruto, who was still marvelling at the containers, and dragged him down to the exit hatch. Sasuke strapped on his boots, which were designed with wheels that clicked in and out of the shoe, so the wearer can either walk or skate. 

"That's so neat." Naruto admired, as he looked at the sleek black leather with envy. Sasuke glanced at him.

"Shikamaru's making you one. In bright orange." Sasuke made a face at the colour.

"Really?" Naruto cried, jumping up, "how did he know that it was my favourite colour?"

"It's not hard to figure." Sasuke said as he stared at Naruto's ensemble, which consisted of a black shirt and bright, eye violating orange pants and even brighter, if slightly scuffed, shoes.

Naruto laughed, and the minute the hatch opened, he leaped out, running around to look at all the different stores from around the universe. Sasuke followed at a more sedate pace, his hands shoved in his pockets.  
"Come on teme! If we finish early we might get time to look around!" Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth as he yelled across the busy market square. Some people turned to smile at the hyper blond's antics. Sasuke manoeuvred through the people with ease, until he got to Naruto.  
Whack.

"Ow, teme! What was that for now?" Naruto complained, grabbing his abused head.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the run? Would it be wise to draw attention to yourself, even in a remote Station such as this one?" Sasuke hissed. "Not to mention it's the government that's after you. What if they have a bounty on your head?"

Naruto rubbed the sore spot, huffing. "They wouldn't dare to involve the public, not even for a false crime or missing children ad. People will wonder why a 'kid' like me should garner so much attention from the government when thousands are fugitives or kidnapped." Sasuke stared at Naruto's shockingly logical reasoning, but shook his head all the same.

"And what if it's a government official that spots you?"  
Naruto stilled. "That... wouldn't be good." He confessed. Sasuke sighed and grabbed Naruto's arm, leading them towards the strip club.

After what seemed like an endless maze of seedy side streets and dark alleys, they finally arrived at a surprisingly luxurious and grand club. The neon sign blared 'Narcissus' in cursive, with a giant flower of the same name leaning over the writing. Sasuke flashed a pass at the two massive Gluork bouncers, and was waved in, the huge aliens hardly sparing them a glance, and instead welcomed those dressed lavishly warmly. They passed through the age verifier without a hitch.

Sasuke seemed familiar with the smoky, dim place, steering Naruto through the club, sticking close to the walls. "When we deliver to these kind of places, the one thing to keep in mind is to stay out of sight. These are the kind of people you wish you'll never know." Sasuke said quietly into Naruto's ear, blending them perfectly into the darkness as two Maunra glided past, their scales clinking gently against each other.

"And with your kind of attributes," Sasuke glanced at the silky butter blond hair and stunning cerulean eyes, both of which were incredibly rare as natural colours, "I'd say more than half of these people would want to get their hands on you; you're lucky if you're just dinner." Sasuke continued whispering quietly, his onyx eyes darting about, taking in all of the surroundings with one critical eye; the possible exits, best distractions, and so on.  
Naruto trembled underneath his grasp. Sasuke remembered that Naruto was once a research specimen, and supposed the blond knew most of what he was hinting at. In a rare act of empathy, Sasuke squeezed Naruto's arm slightly.

Naruto gulped but calmed down, and let Sasuke guide him to the back of the club, where two huge double doors and even more massive Gluork stood guard. Sasuke showed them the pass again, and they actually took a good look this time. Again, they waved them through. Inside was a VIP lounge where the cream of the crop gathered. A buxom fake blonde woman stood on the stage and warbled some silly love song.

Sasuke weaved through the tables and chairs until he got to a specific table in the very back corner, surrounded by potted plants. There sat a very thin, black haired man, almost skeletal, sipping at a luminous green vermanth. His skin was a tawny colour, a strange pattern shifting in and out of focus as he moved. He looked up when Naruto and Sasuke entered, his eyes suddenly turning feline as they swivelled immediately to Naruto. He grinned like a Cheshire cat. Naruto felt like he was a small bird being sized up for dinner by a very large cat.

"Mr. Mvloar." Sasuke interrupted, and the man's gaze jumped to the raven, as if broken out of a trance. The eyes, which were golden before, morphed back into silver. The man who was actually a Fwlen, smiled silkily.

"Ah yes, Uchiha-mihan, a pleasure to see you again." He purred. "Please, please, sit down while we discuss the trade." Naruto wondered what there was to talk about in a trade. The man's intentions became clear, however, when his eyes kept glancing at Naruto.

"And pray tell, who is your ...friend?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes; the pause at the end seemed to be more about asking whether Sasuke cared about the blond than about the blond's name.  
"Numor." Sasuke replied smoothly, picking a random name; it meant 'Radiance.' Mvloar's eyes switched from grey to amber and back. He seemed put off.

"Very well." He said, business like all of a sudden, and Naruto got the distinct impression that he was sulking. _Must have known it was a lie_ Naruto thought, trying to dispel some of his worry; Fwlens were not known to be forgiving creatures.

Naruto watched the trade, with Mvloar giving up half the money in advance as Sasuke placed it into Naruto's black container, then unlocked his own and pulled out half of the necessary documents and Mvloar gave up the other half of the fortune, where Sasuke took out the remaining documents and put the halved sum in his own black container. The tubes clicked shut with a long series of beeps, which Naruto supposed to be all the locks settling into place.

"Thank you, Uchiha-mihan, it was a...pleasure." Mvloar said flirtatiously as he stood up to shake Sasuke's hand. The raven gave a good, firm grip, but his eyes told the man to leave. The Fwlen's eyes morphed to a strange rippling colour; Mvloar turned to Naruto to shake his hand also, when Sasuke's arm shot out and he grabbed the man's impossibly thin wrist. Naruto wondered if it would break if Sasuke applied more pressure.

"Don't you dare." Sasuke said in a low, dangerous voice. Mvloar tilted his dark head and regarded Sasuke with his golden, slitted eyes. Naruto was worried when he saw the Fwlen's nails start to elongate. Something red shifted in Sasuke's gaze however, and Mvloar's eyes flickered from Sasuke to Naruto, and he withdrew his nails. Sasuke let go of his wrist, and the Fwlen took it back, rubbing and shaking his hand to get rid of the razor sharp nails completely. It was hard for a Fwlen to withdraw from battle without its bloodlust sated and its opponent in shreds. Very few had to.

He gave Sasuke a nod, and leaned down to grab his briefcase, leaving a large, deep gash in the armrest he had gripped as support. The nails were almost blunt, with the tips just the barest bit pointy. Naruto almost sagged with relief when the Fwlen, who were more or less killing machines, left.

"We wait ten minutes, then we leave." Sasuke said stonily, as he sat back down in the chair and completely ignored the stuffing that came bursting out of the armrest.

"Are you nuts!" Naruto cried, "Do you realize just how dangerous a Fwlen is!?" He lowered his voice at Sasuke's glower. "I saw them being studied along with me in the lab, and I've seen them _rip through Carandum like it was just tissue!_" Sasuke seemed unconcerned, despite knowing that Carandum was a metal only bested by Selenbrium. Naruto sat down as well, and stared at Sasuke.

The raven, unused to anyone at such close quarters and staring at him, snapped, "It's rude to stare, dobe." Naruto, surprisingly, didn't get react. "Are you really that powerful, asshole?" Or not. Sasuke snorted, "Yes." He said, with no abashment whatsoever.

"Ever heard of modesty?" Naruto snarked. Sasuke smirked in reply.

"Why wouldn't you him let me touch me?" Naruto queried. Sasuke looked at him over the top of his interlocked fingers. "I didn't let _you_ touch _him_ because if you touched him of your own will, innocently or not, he can ensnare you with his powers and you'll go along with him happily, like a lamb to slaughter. I grabbed his hand in case he tried something else." His voice sounded tight, like he was barely reigning in his anger.

"How come _you_ could touch him then?" Naruto wrinkled his nose.

"His powers can't affect me. And it wasn't me he wanted." Sasuke's voice got colder. Naruto swallowed hard. "Why can't his po-" Naruto started, but Sasuke cut him off.

"What did I say about asking questions that's none of your business?" Sasuke growled, and stood up, motioning for Naruto to get up as well. Naruto pouted, but kept his mouth shut. They walked back through the smoggy room and made it outside, which unfortunately, wasn't any better.

Naruto tried to look as inconspicuous as possible, which served to make him look even more suspicious. Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed the blond's arm again. Suddenly, Naruto froze. Sasuke turned back to stare at the blond, who began shivering.

"What the hell's wrong with you? Move!" Sasuke hissed, his eyes watching a Grendel couple walk by them.

"I- He's here!" Naruto gasped, his voice a high, strained whisper, and latched onto Sasuke's arm. Sasuke glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, and there was way too much evil auras and killer intent in the room to judge who wanted to harm Naruto. Sasuke cursed when he saw that Naruto had begun to hyperventilate. Sasuke looked towards the entrance, where a huge party of people were just leaving, the crowd much too congested to go quickly and unseen.

"Naruto. Listen to me." Sasuke leaned down and gently slapped the blond. Naruto shook out of his daze and looked at Sasuke with dull, glazed eyes. He recognized that look, of one who had seen blood-curdling horror and experienced so much trauma that the mind was going into shock to block the memories. He pushed away the memory of him looking into the mirror and seeing the same eyes.

"Who is here?" Sasuke said slowly, keeping Naruto's eyes on his. Naruto took in a gasping breath.

"O-Orochimaru." He managed to say before he cringed and whimpered, as if expecting someone to hit him.

"What?" Sasuke leaned in closer.

"He- He's the guy that heads the research on me." Sasuke's eyes widened, and he bared his teeth in anger. He wanted to throttle whoever it was that would perform such twisted experiments on someone just for 'research.'

"Where is he? What does he look like? Don't point, just glance at him." Naruto's gaze broke with Sasuke's for a split second, looking at someone over Sasuke's left shoulder. The smaller boy buried his face in Sasuke's shirt.

Sasuke turned in time to see an impossibly pale man with black hair, slanted, snake-like yellow eyes marked in black kohl stand up, and head their way, talking with a greyish blue haired man. Sasuke narrowed his eyes; _Orochimaru... Must be the first man,_ he thought, before he saw part of the man's hand change into scales and instantly change back. _A Quilong snake then, one who can change his form. I can take him on, but I can't afford a scene._ Sasuke pressed the blond further into the shadows of a corner, but realised that they were going to be seen anyway, and there was nowhere to hide. _Shit._ He cursed.

"Naruto, listen to me. He is headed this way." Sasuke whispered quickly. Naruto squeaked. "Naruto, I need you to play along with me, just act natural, and put your arms around my waist." Thankfully, the blond did as he was told without fuss. Sasuke placed his hands over Naruto's distinguishing whisker marks and bent the boy's head back, turning his back on the approaching pair. Naruto trembled, and Sasuke pressed his body against his, keeping him safe between the wall and himself. The raven felt a slight shudder run through him, the smaller boy's hot breath brushing against his sensitive neck. Chilling goose bumps travelled up his spine as heat spread through him and pooled in his stomach. Sasuke felt heady and slightly dizzy, a sensation he'd never felt before and it disconcerted him. He closed his eyes to regain his composure _focus damnit, don't let anything distract you._

"Shh, close your eyes and don't make a single sound." Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, before he placed what seemed to be a deep kiss on Naruto's lips, but was just the contact of his lips with the corner of Naruto's mouth. The two men, who were deep in discussion, hardly noticed the two 'lovers.' The grey-blue haired man smirked, but under the dim lighting and the shadows, Naruto's hair looked dull and dyed. Orochimaru and his companion left, and the crowd at the entrance dispersed.

When Sasuke was sure they'd gone, he looked up. Some other patrons were leering at them appreciatively, but one glare from Sasuke was enough to deter them. Naruto still clung to him, breathing hard and blushing furiously.

"Alright, let's go." Sasuke said in a tight voice as he grabbed Naruto and they left at a very speedy pace. Sasuke dragged Naruto through the Station until they reached a private, secluded spot. "What did he do." Sasuke demanded out of Naruto. The blond gulped, not even thinking about refusing the question; Sasuke's eyes were glowing an eerie red.

"U-Um, he used to practice all sorts of torture stuff on me to see how long I'd last, and he gets people to beat me until I'm nearly dead to see how fast I'd heal."  
Sasuke gritted his teeth so hard they hurt. So that was where the horrific scars came from. "How long."

"S-Since I could remember. I used to run away all the time but they always caught me after a few weeks. I only managed to get out this time because a guard, Zabuza, helped me escape." The raven narrowed his eyes. "Why would he do that?"

"There was this other person beside my cell, he was called Haku and he could transport through mirrors, and we became good friends and I don't know how but Haku and Zabuza sort of fell in love and when Zabuza busted him out Haku asked him to help me too. We split up just before I snuck onto the Sylvan." Naruto gabbled.

"What about that tattoo you have on your stomach? Was that part of the experiments?" Naruto looked surprised, but he shook his head. "No, I've had it since I was born. O-Orochimaru said it was 'a birthright' or something, of my lineage that my dad passed to me."

Without a word, Sasuke clamped an iron hand around Naruto's wrist again, although it didn't hurt, and stomped his boots, popping the skates out. He picked up a squawking Naruto and slung him over his shoulder, and tore through the Station with fire on his heels. They reached the airship in little to no time; he stomped the heels back and ripped the hatch up, stalking inside. Sasuke slammed the door to the cockpit open and all but threw Naruto into the armchair in there. Kakashi and Iruka looked up from their work to stare at an irate Sasuke.

"Naruto'll be fine, you said!" He shouted, his voice, usually low and quiet, rose in volume. "I told you he shouldn't have gone! Do you what happened?" Sasuke began to pace, glaring at the two absolutely stunned men. "That bastard Fwlen tried to enamour him, half the club wanted to eat him and the other wanted to rape him!" He ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up before it fell back into place. Sakura and Ino came rushing into the room, followed by Shikamaru, probably drawn by the noise.

"Then you know whom we met? The fucker that experimented on him! He's a Quilong snake too, who knows what shape he'll take next? And I let him walk away! I could have beaten the shit out of him but I let him walk away!" Sasuke finished his tirade, breathing hard. "If I see him again I'll -" He was stopped, however, when Naruto grabbed his hand.

"Stop it, please." The blond begged. Sasuke looked at him before he glared one last time at Kakashi and Iruka and stormed out of the cockpit, pushing past the frozen girls and avoiding Shikamaru's gaze.

* * *

Ha, told you guys he'll be OOC. Meh, I can't help it though, I think it's a very normal reaction for anybody, even Sasuke, to be furious at Orochimaru's barbarous and cruel treatment of Naruto. I mean, it's an outrage! 

So uh, yeah... Review please? The next chapter will be an interlude of sorts. It'll be about Ino and Shikamaru's story, with a bit of Sakura. I'm not neglecting the rosette though, just because I dislike her.


	5. Champagne Supernova

Back from the dead my lovely, lovely reviewers. I updated two stories in one day! I am made of winning awesome! Final exams are looming again (why is it, that my muse decides to wake from her coma _just_ before exams?) and I have posted this in the hopes that some of you are actually still around to read this.

_: Tumbleweed tumbles past:_

Hello?

Warning: CONTAINS HET. If you are allergic, please avert your eyes and wait for the next chapter. XD

And, needless to say, QuickEdit screwed the formatting… I really don't like that program anymore.

Disclaimer: Japanophile, not Japanese. So, not the author of Naruto.

Read, Enjoy and Review (pretty please!)

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_Summary:_

She loved him, but she believed that he thought she was too immature for him. She despaired, and kept quiet. He loved her, but he was just a normal human and she was the _crown princess of Yunera and sole heiress to the entire Faer dynasty._ He scowled, and kept silent.

_Five Years Ago_

The Sylvan landed in the crystal clear waters of the planet Yunera, home to the warrior race Faer. Thankfully, peace has reigned for more than a decade now. Kakashi adjusted his clothing; first impressions were not to be taken lightly. Iruka fretted about, straightening this and that, scolding Shikamaru about slouching and making sure Sasuke's face wasn't as hostile as it often looked.

"Maa, Iruka, just let us go already." Shikamaru drawled, and stood straight, finally looking the height of a sixteen year old. Sasuke crossed his arms and seemed sullen. _Guess hanging with us isn't likely to lift his spirits._ Shikamaru thought, looking at the boy two years his junior.

"Alright guys, ready? This is an important business deal!" Kakashi cried cheerfully as he swung open the door and dropped down to the glistening sand that sparkled like crushed opals. Their sand was often bottled and blessed, then sold to eager tourists. From a long way away, he saw the approaching entourage of the king. There was a large platform that several shlan pulled, their long noses sniffing the ground as they laboured.

Soon, Shikamaru could see the figures more clearly. There was the king, wearing majestic robes of gold and green as he sat on an impressive, but simple throne. Beside him was a girl, presumably the crown princess, with a head of platinum blonde hair and wearing lilac coloured clothes that showed her smooth midriff. And beside her, riding a russet coloured shlan was a girl in similar red costume, with pink hair.

The group stopped, and it was up to the guests to approach. Shikamaru sighed; since it was customary for the Faer to have a 'speaker' from both sides of the party negotiate and or do the introductions during the first meeting, Kakashi had chosen him. The crown princess, stunningly beautiful up close, left her chair and sashayed down the steps, her semi-transparent purple clothes fluttering in the breeze. Her movements were graceful and refined, strange for a girl of thirteen who was still adjusting to growth. She moved like… like Sasuke, like an experienced fighter. Shikamaru almost groaned out loud; trust his damn luck for her to be the speaker. She could lope his head off in a blink of an eye if he so much as eyed her wrong.

Ino walked down the steps, her eyes observing the guests before her, while she spread her mind out to check their intentions. The silver haired guy was amused and the Captain of the ship. Ino's eyebrows raised slightly when she found out that he was a truth seeker. The brown-haired, brown-eyed man with the curious scar seemed familiar… Ino was again surprised when she recognised him as the retired Fulmari president, Umino Iruka. And now that she thought about it, the silver haired man was his guard, Hatake Kakashi. When she stumbled upon the feelings they shared, Ino had to bite back a fangirlish giggle; well, they _were_ awfully cute together.

The next was a teenager, who looked bored out of his wits. Ino frowned, _what a creep!_ He was lazy, that was the first thing she noticed about his posture, it looked stiff, like he was used to slouching. But when she probed inside his head, her eyebrows rose again when she saw the sheer complexities of it; it was sharp and calculating, and – Ino pouted – smarter than her. It was vexing enough that her best friend Sakura was better at studies, but for a human?

The next boy was – Ino goggled; she couldn't help it. He was _gorgeous, _with dark, enigmatic eyes, stylish hair the colour of a raven's wing, and a casual stance that exuded confidence. She wished he would be the speaker; she wanted to know what he sounded like. Ino almost giggled again, but kept it in and stretched with her mind again. Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline when she couldn't access it. There was a sort of barrier, but in all the minds she's seen, there has never been one who has been able to block her, except maybe other really high-powered telepathy users.

The boy's dark eyes smouldered when he glared at her, and she swallowed hard; even more inconceivable, he could _tell_ she was looking! Could he be -! Ino did a mental double take; could he be her cousin, the last Uchiha? His mother Mikoto had been one of her mother's cousins, and she'd left Yunera to marry Uchiha Fugaku. The planet had mourned when news of their senseless massacre had reached them, leaving behind the orphan Sasuke. Her father had wanted to bring him here, but at that time the planet was plunged in the turmoil of war. She couldn't marvel at this new discovery, however, because she had reached them, and it was her duty to speak first.

She placed her right arm across her bare midriff, and her left arm went behind her back. Her numerous bracelets jingled. She moved her right satin-slipper shod foot directly in front of her angled left foot; she gave a perfect forty-five degree bow before she straightened.

She pouted again when it was that lazy boy, Shikamaru (she'd picked up his name when she was rooting around his brain) that stepped forward instead of Sasuke. He placed his left arm over his stomach instead, while his right arm was across his back. His left foot went behind his right foot at a slight angle, and he gave another perfect bow. Ino almost smirked; so, he knew their customs well.

"Welcome, strangers, to our fair planet Yunera." Ino spoke in Yuneran, her voice lilting with the beautiful language. Even if they didn't understand they could get the gist of it. "I am Yamanaka Ino, speaker for Yamanaka Inoichi, my father and Imperator of Yunera."

"We are honoured to be received by such an esteemed court." Shikamaru replied, his voice a (Ino couldn't help thinking toe-curling) baritone, low and husky, and in fluent Yuneran too! Ino was suitably impressed. Yuneran was a notoriously difficult language to grasp; there were over several thousand characters to make up words and the meaning of the words changed depending on not just context, but by the tune of the voice and which syllable was stressed, which was why Yuneran was often compared to singing.

Shikamaru was infinitely grateful that he had a natural voice for singing; it made speaking Yuneran so much easier. Learning Yuneran had been more challenging than the other languages he'd learned, but in the end, once you memorised the rules and heard it spoken, it was easier.

"I am Nara Shikamaru, speaker for Hatake Kakashi, close friend and captain of the Sylvan." Shikamaru said clearly, and he could tell that not only was the girl impressed, but her father and the rest of the entourage too.

Kakashi grinned; trust Shikamaru to get the hang of the languages that came their way. He wasn't just articulate, he was eloquent too. Sasuke's eyebrow rose slightly; so that was what his mother spoke before she had left the planet. He had to agree, his mother had been exceptional at singing and maybe a half a lifetime of speaking Yuneran had trained her well. He never learned, but he could still speak a sentence or two clearly, since his mother had passed her vocal talent to him. It wasn't like he _would_ sing, but having it was better than not, since his father sung like a cat yowled on a hot tin roof.

"We invite you, honoured guests, to our revered palace during your stay." Ino spoke in Common for the others to understand. She wanted to wrinkle her nose; she sounded so pompous; in Yuneran it wasn't as embarrassing, but in Common… Shikamaru bowed smoothly again, not at all bothered by her flush.

"It is a prestigious offer and we gratefully accept." And wonder of all wonders, he actually smiled crookedly at her. Instantly, she smiled back. _Maybe he isn't such a creep after all _she thought girlishly.

XxX

Sakura could hardly keep her eyes off that raven-haired boy, besotted already. He was so handsome her beauty must pale in comparison. The crew members, after the official (and rather dull, in her opinion) introduction was over, had climbed onto another carriage prepared for them. Good, now was her chance. She steered her beloved shlan over to Ino, who kept glancing inconspicuously at the speaker for the Sylvan. The rosette giggled into her hand. So _that's_ how it is.

"Oi, Ino-pig." Sakura whispered, nudging her animal even closer.

"Don't call me that!" Ino hissed back, looking around her. Sakura flapped her hand.

"So who's the raven-haired hottie?" She said conspiringly. Ino made a face. "He's Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura's eyes widened at the familiar name. "And he's also my cousin." Ino added with a sigh. Sakura sniggered. "Does that mean he's all mine?" The pink-haired girl suggested. Ino glared.

"Not a chance in hell, forehead girl, he's a second cousin." Sakura pouted, but brightened again. "But he'll like me better anyway." She taunted, and Ino turned her nose in the air. "Like he would, billboard head." They started to bicker silently with looks and gestures while Inoichi chuckled lightly.

Shikamaru glanced over at the two arguing girls, his eyes inexplicably drawn to the platinum blonde. Her hair, even in the high ponytail she tied it into still reached her waist, and it swished about as she lurched with the carriage's movements. Her many silver and gold bracelets clinked together when she waved her arms about, and her sapphire-drop earrings brushed the top of her shoulders. When he felt an eye upon him, he turned around to scowl at Kakashi, whose eye had turned into another happy upside down 'U'.

"Save it Kakashi, I'm not in the mood for one of your crazy ideas about matchmaking." Shikamaru said in a tired voice. Kakashi pretended to be injured.

"You wound me, Shikamaru." But his devious smile was back on. "Ah, you know me all too well, but I'm afraid that this plot is not just my own. Hitsuzen is going to have a hand in it, you'll see."

Sasuke snorted derisively. "Fate? There's no such thing as fate. You make your own decisions and you fall into the grave you dig, that's all."

Kakashi and Iruka only smiled knowingly, as Shikamaru rolled his eyes and looked away, only to find them resting on that girl, _again_.

XxX

The palace was a grand, dramatic affair, unrivalled in its beauty and elegance. It was made of slate coloured york stones and opaque crystals. The smooth planes reflected the sunlight in all directions, casting a gentle halo about the place. The Faer's indigenous elpam trees grew along the path leading to the palace, their crimson and gold leaves carpeting the floor. It was all very breathtaking, Shikamaru thought, if only for aesthetic reasons, because the crystals also acted as defensive barriers against magical attacks, and were just as hard as Selenbrium, if only less malleable.

When the group of four guests had settled into their separate chambers, Inoichi called for a grand feast to be thrown. Iruka felt slightly uneasy, since they were simply messengers looking for a deal, and making such a big fuss about them was embarrassing. Shikamaru had assured him that the Faer looked for any excuse to party, dignified warriors or not. While the party was being organised, the king asked them to make themselves at home and enjoy the hospitality.

Sasuke had been instantly drawn to the fighting arena, intrigued by the strange weapons they fought with, and perhaps looking for someone to spar with. Kakashi and Iruka had accepted an offer for a tour of the grand palace by one of the palace keepers. Shikamaru declined the offer, and instead visited, (with permission and a personal escort) one of the numerous libraries they had. He asked the escort to retrieve him in an hour's time, picked a strange, archaic book from the shelves and relegated himself to a spot by the window to read.

XxX

Dinner was a boisterous affair, with the country's finest foods and drinks offered to the rather embarrassed crew. The table was sorted by age, so Kakashi and Iruka sat with Inoichi, then Shikamaru and Sasuke opposite each other, and Sakura and Ino. The rosette was more than deliriously happy when she found that she was sitting beside Sasuke. Ino rolled her eyes, slightly miffed, but left her friend to her daydreams.

Shikamaru sat up straight for the sake of propriety, and tried not to glance at Ino. Ino sat in her seat rigidly, and tried not to peek at Shikamaru. A few minutes into dinner, Ino was tired of watching her best friend trying to engage the stoic Sasuke into conversation, and instead turned to Shikamaru.

"So what was Earth like, Shikamaru-kan?" She asked, turning to look at him.

He gave a small smile. "Just Shikamaru please, your highness." He mumbled, and she grinned at him.

"Then _you_ must call me Ino." Shikamaru decided not to say a word on that, guessing correctly that she was the type of girl who could argue until the end of days.

"Earth was pretty much a disaster when I left, around the age of six to the planet Thulor. The skies were polluted, the water mostly poisoned and the land wrecked by war." Shikamaru said, and saw Ino's eyes widening. "But," he continued, "like humanity, you get a lot of scum, but sometimes you get a few truly good people that seems to make you forget about the rest of the world. There were still a few very rare places on Earth, where the sky was as blue as you can imagine and the trees bloomed with colourful flowers and the streams ran so clear you could drink straight from it." Shikamaru finished, and thought jokingly to himself that he'd probably used up his word quota for the month.

"Wow." She said quietly, and popped a small, star-shaped blue fruit into her mouth. "I want to see it. I want to see everything beyond this planet I grew up on." She continued, and Shikamaru felt a faint stir of alarm. "I always ask the tourists what their home planet was like, and I don't think any of them has given a more truthful account than you." She flashed him a smile. "I heard Thulor was a pretty noisy planet?"

He gave a shrug. "They mined Selenbrium there, even though it was always raining and thundering. My father was called there to help with the mining, since he could – manipulate, certain elements. He brought me along so I could help with the mining. I looked for the best possible places to dig and they followed."

"Is it because you're a genius?" She asked. He chuckled, and drank some light green liquid from his glass. "I hope you didn't see anything embarrassing in my head." He said, and smiled slightly when she blushed crimson. "Well, I-I mean, it was just a safety precaution…" She muttered, and glared when he snickered again.

"Ino!" Came Inoichi's booming voice, his face slightly red from the Fulmari wine Iruka had brought as a gift.

"Yes dad?" She called back, and Inoichi smiled indulgently at her. "Will you dance for the crew?" He asked, and Ino blushed again. "N-now?" She said, and suddenly darted a look at Shikamaru.

"Okay," she agreed, "but only if Sakura plays the koto!" Sakura narrowed her eyes at Ino but stood up to comply. The blonde girl walked to the stage at the end of the oval table, where everyone could see her clearly. Her robes this time were soft blends of pale blue and light peridot shades. Sakura wore dusky pinks with pearly white.

Ino accepted two ornate filigree fans from the attendants and went to the centre of the stage. Her feet were bare, save for a few anklets. As the koto began to play, Ino closed her cerulean eyes and snapped the fans open with a flick of her wrists and began to dance. Everyone in the hall were silent, captivated by the sound of the koto expertly played and the grace of the dancer. The crown princess moved with smooth, fluid moments, her right arm a graceful arc above her head while the left fan was kept flush with her bare stomach. She spun on one foot, the robes fluttering, and her arms were kept out.

Shikamaru's mouth was dry and he felt too warm. It was hard to swallow against the lump in his throat, and his eyes were fixated on her, never once wavering. _Damnit Nara,_ he thought to himself in resignation, _you just _had_ to be attracted to her, didn't you? As if your life wasn't troublesome enough already._ He groaned inside his head.

Sakura kept her eyes down on her koto, her fingers sweeping and plucking along the strings; she was the best player in the palace, and it showed. The music rose and fell with lilting melodies, stirring even Sasuke's heart slightly.

Ino finished the dance with a flourish, the fans snapping closed as they pointed to her right. She opened her eyes and found their gaze instantly drawn to Shikamaru, as if waiting for his approval. The whole table was clapping enthusiastically for both the dancer and the musician, and Inoichi beamed proudly at his beloved daughter and goddaughter. Shikamaru's look was level as he stared back at Ino, clapping too. He gave her a wide smile, and she found herself at once smiling back, so much it almost hurt. _Crap, Ino. _She thought to herself in a hopeless way, _you've fallen in like with him._

XxX

It was later that night, when Shikamaru was about to retire to his chambers, when a servant appeared out of nowhere before him and gave him a low, respectful bow. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" The boy kept glancing at him from under his eyelashes; Shikamaru almost sighed out loud, _must be another Faer fascinated with a human. It's not like we're _completely _extinct yet._

"His Imperial Highness wishes for your audience in the Luna Library." The servant said quickly in Common, his voice slightly hesitant, unused to the language much blunter than his own. Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He had no objections to it, but he did wonder why.

"I will attend. Please lead me to the Lunar Library." Shikamaru replied in Yuneran, sympathetic towards the boy who was clearly not used to Common. The messenger straightened up, undisguised surprise flashing across his face.

Suddenly remembering himself, the guide lead Shikamaru down and up and through several corridors before they came to a vast, double-panel door, with intricate carvings of beech trees and stars, with a large crescent in the middle. Shikamaru made sure to make a mental map of the place lest he got lost. The boy (Shikamaru wasn't going to ask for his name; it was very unlikely that they would meet again) hauled the heavy doors open and stood to the side, head bowed again.

"Thank you." Shikamaru mumbled, and stepped into the very large room. A blue and green fire roared in the gigantic hearth, flashes of red and purple sparking from the yoland tree firewood that grew only in Yunera. Every wall and ceiling and innumerable shelves were decked with books; _must have been a nightmare to catalogue _Shikamaru thought to himself grimly.

King Inoichi sat imperiously on a large mahogany chair, sipping an emerald liquid. Shikamaru walked to stand two metres away and bowed. Inoichi waved him over to sit down opposite him.

"I understand you wished to see me, pandan?" Shikamaru used the word for addressing a deity. The Yuneran royal family were said to be the descendants of heaven, after all.

Inoichi chuckled. "You'll find that I am nothing so exalted. Come, sit with me; your captain has informed me that you are a quite practiced Shougi and Go player?"

Shikamaru blinked "Your majesty knows of Shougi and Go?" Inoichi gave a booming laugh. "Yes lad, I do. One of my best advisors has a passion for the games. I am sure he'll be glad to make your acquaintance." Shikamaru bowed his head. "I will be honoured."

The king waved his massive hand, "Come now, lad, skip the formalities! You're going to be a close friend one day!" The blond gazed at the boy opposite him, a merry twinkle in his blue eyes, a shade cloudier than his daughter's. The brunet's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I do not believe I have ever had the pleasure of meeting a seer." The lazy genius said slowly, casually after a moment's silence. The large man in front of him looked quite pleased, and toasted his drink to him._ So Asuma is going to be right after all. His intelligence isn't exaggerated in the least._ Inoichi thought to himself, quite content. _He's going to be a good match for her, in both ways._

XxX

The next morning the Sylvan crew found a serious Inoichi at the breakfast table. "Kakashi, Iruka, a word please." He said, and the two men cast each other a look before hurrying to the king. They conversed in low tones, while Ino sat beside Shikamaru and flashed him a brilliant smile. He found reason to be wary when he caught the gleam in her eye.

Kakashi came back from the talk with a similar gleam, and Iruka was smiling. Shikamaru found reason to start panicking when all three men turned to give him a knowing smile. _What the…?_ Shikamaru thought, and was interrupted when Sasuke came into the room, his arm latched onto by Sakura. The dark haired youth looked very harassed.

When everyone had settled, Inoichi stood up with a hand for silence. "Esteemed guests," he began, "I have a favour to ask of you. My beloved daughter, crown princess Ino and my goddaughter Sakura of the noble Haruno house has asked to accompany you on your journey through the galaxies." Shikamaru's mouth dropped open, while Ino and Sakura bounced in their seats. Sasuke looked alarmed, with a smidgen of fear brushed through.

"Your captain and second in command has decided to ask for all of your opinions." Shikamaru said he didn't mind at all, and would gladly accept the honour. Sasuke looked like he was about to object, but seeing as it was sort of a majority rule, he glumly agreed. After all, refusing simply because Sakura got on his nerves was a rather insulting reason.

For the rest of breakfast, Ino pelted Shikamaru with questions, and later Sakura joined in too, after fruitlessly trying to get Sasuke to go beyond monosyllabic answers and grunts.

"I think I'll work as cook." Sakura said, spooning some fruit and muesli into her mouth. Ino nodded. "I think I'll like to do that as well." She said.

Shikamaru shrugged. "None of us can really cook on the ship. Iruka's the best at it, but most times we just eat something instant."

The two girls wrinkled their nose. "That's so not healthy." Sakura grimaced, and Ino agreed.

"How did you survive?" The blonde asked incredulously.

Shikamaru mentally rolled his eyes. She made it sound like they went foraging for berries and grubs. He snorted slightly. "Instant isn't so bad." The two girls didn't seem so inclined to believe him.

"Isn't this a bit sudden?" Shikamaru asked, wondering how the families could be so agreeable to their only daughters leaving the planet to wander around the universe.

Sakura shook her head. "Not really. Ino and I have been asking our parents to let us explore before we have to settle down and take care of the kingdom. And Inoichi saw that we could be leaving anyway." Shikamaru nodded slowly, and absorbed the information. So seers saw many things that _could_ come to pass, but weren't definite.

As the crew got ready to leave, Ino and Sakura were saying tearful goodbyes to their respective families. Kakashi came up to Shikamaru. "Yo." The captain said, and the lazy genius turned.

"What is it now?" He sighed.

"The gears are acting up again. Can you go fix it?" Kakashi asked, and Shikamaru gave a one-shouldered shrug, a muttered 'mendoukusee' and trudged up the ramp.

Shikamaru murmured to himself quietly as his blackened fingers worked over the greasy gears, his right hand groping for his wrench in his toolbox, his eyes fixed on the offending malfunction. The wrench was placed into his hand. Shikamaru muttered his thanks to whoever it was and fixed the problem.

After he was done, he wiped his fingers carelessly on his workpants and hauled himself out from under the silent machines. When he caught a flash of silver blonde hair he was so startled he banged his head on the metal. He slumped back with a groan while she giggled silently into her hand. Ino stifled her laughter to the best of her ability, but an errant snicker still escaped her.

"Hi." She said, bending forward as he massaged the abused area on his head.

"Good afternoon your highness." He said, feeling slightly awkward in his rather dirty clothes.

She glared at him and stomped her foot. "I told you not to call me that! It's Ino!" She stomped her foot again for emphasis. _She is still so childish._ Shikamaru sighed to himself; he didn't call her that just because he respected her station, it was also a reminder to himself of the rather stark and painful contrast between their status.

"At least princess." He mumbled. She shook her magnificent head. He sighed out loud this time, in defeat. "Alright. Ino." She grinned.

"That's more like it." She was obviously used to getting her own way.

He pulled himself up; wiping his fingers down with a spare, miraculously clean rag. He was unaware of Ino's scrutiny, as the blonde girl (who's got it bad) couldn't suppress the goosebumps on her arms as she watched him. His slightly tanned skin had a fine sheen of sweat on it, which glistened as he moved, his hair was in that messy ponytail again, and moronically enough, in her opinion, she liked his ever-present scowl.

"Is it done?" She asked, as he packed the tools away.

He glanced up. "Yes."

"It looks so complicated." She cocked an eyebrow.

He took a glance at the machine. "Well, it's all gears and nuts and bolts. Once you know how they work, you should know how they all work together."

"That seems to be a lot of trouble though, for someone who declares things that cast a shadow 'troublesome.'" She said teasingly. He was surprised she had understood his favourite saying, since his mother tongue had almost died out, and was probably only familiar on Earth now.

_Perhaps she isn't such a spoiled, air-headed princess after all,_ Shikamaru thought. He smiled at her.

Ino decided that she was wrong before. She liked his stupid, lazy, lopsided, crooked smile the best.

* * *

Ok, how's that? Pretty long, innit? TEN PAGES! Whoever gets the pretty vague reference to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles gets a cookie. A very yummy cyber cookie, in bits and bytes (HA! Wordplay!) 

I'm not writing their romance, because the main pairing of this story is SasuNaru! Wh00t! Yeah… Although it does seem kind of rushed… o.o" But I don't want to delay any longer, or make the _chapter _longer either, so all you get is a taste. Chapter title is from an awesome song by Oasis, "Champagne Supernova." Name sounded pretty, that's all.

So who liked my made up extremely aesthetically pleasing planet Yunera? Just imagine a mix of ancient China (like the whole 'descendants of heaven' thing) with ancient Arabia (the silk robes, for example).


	6. Paper Moon

Okay, I've been dead for a while. I fell into a depressive funk after exams, but now here I am, with another chapter. Twelfth Night will be updated around Tuesday I guess (_my_ Tuesday that is). I'm watching Schindler's List and crying my eyes out.

Disclaimer: I haven't been lynched good and proper for avoiding dead lines, so of course, I'm not as famous or as sought-after as Kishimoto Masashi.

Warning: Extreme angst. Fluff… I think.

* * *

Sasuke slammed the door to his bunk shut and sat at his bed, rubbing his face with his hands. He stared at the ground, and breathed heavily. He hadn't gotten that worked up since... he grimaced, and lay on his bed, one arm over his eyes as he blew a heavy breath. He closed his eyes, and dreamed. 

_It was a long, dim hallway, the floor made of finely polished wood and paper walls. His old house, Sasuke recognised, the floor that much closer to him, like he was six again. As if from a distance, he felt his surroundings, the presence of the environment dull and surreal. He walked forwards, each step a heavy thud and the muffled sound coming to him just a little slower, as if he was watching a movie that had a broken sound apparatus. _

_He walked around a corner, and stood before the terrifyingly familiar wooden doors. Unbidden, his arms reached forwards and pushed the doors open, and he saw himself, in his current age, stabbing his father in the heart before sliding the slick, wet blade into his mother's stomach._ _Sasuke could still remember the way it felt and sound, a clean snick, like a key sliding into a lock and out again. His father's corpse remained still while his mother twitched in her death spasms. _

_And suddenly, he was standing there, in front of his mother, his hands soaked crimson, smelling of copper and sin. All he could smell was blood. He watched his mother's eyes clear, forgiveness and _gratitude_ shining in them before they clouded over and she collapsed. Sasuke looked up when the door swung open again, the silhouette of his brother a stark contrast to the pale, alabaster moon behind him._

_The scene changed and morphed into the sterile white room of the medical research centre in the hospital, and the stench of blood was replaced by disinfectant. Countless needles were joined to his small, bony arms as their respective monitors beeped beside his bed. In fast forward, he saw a blur of people enter his room; brief glimpses of nurses, doctors, policemen and family friends, all of them wearing the same expression: pity._

_All these random people turned into nameless faces in white lab coats, their impersonal hands invading his private space to 'study' him and his bloodline. Of months being stuck inside white walls with no sense of time or reality, Sasuke felt like a child again, insecure, afraid and helpless, all of which were feelings that he hated the most. He wanted to open his mouth and scream, but the dream robbed his voice._

The dinner bell rang, startling him out of his sleep. He blinked his eyes open, and lay there for a moment, contemplating the nightmare, if you could call it that, that he'd just had. _They're all just disjointed memories anyway,_ he snarled to himself, _a bloody past best left forgotten. _He thought he'd stopped having them years ago, but it seemed he was wrong. He rolled out of bed, and scowled at his rumpled shirt. He fixed himself up before he stepped out of his room. He was half surprised that Sakura hadn't come and annoyed him to the dinner table first, but he shrugged and just didn't care that much. When he stepped into the kitchen, all the free talk halted, they looked at him, and he glowered back, as if daring any of them to mention the previous incident.

Kiba, although he wasn't there, had been filled in the minute he came back from meeting his girlfriend and their pup, Akamaru. The dog-lover had whistled a long tune, and stared at a very awkward Naruto. He'd decided that it was going to be a whole lot more difficult on the ship. The wild haired boy decided to break the silence. "So what's in this spaghetti thing anyway?" And dinner talk resumed, if a little quiet and the laughter canned.

"We'll be heading to the planet Shizukesa next, to deliver some documents and packages to a Lord Neji there." Kakashi announced later, and the crew nodded silently.

Naruto picked at his spaghetti, knowing that it was delicious but not having the heart to eat it. He avoided looking up at anyone, especially at the one across from him. He felt Sasuke's eyes bore into him, however, and Naruto shrunk a little bit more. He wondered if Sasuke was disgusted with him. He had never told anyone about what they did to him, and no one else had seen his scars besides the other 'specimens' in their cells. Only Haku understood even half of what he went through; pushing your physical and mental limits to move between mirrors was no easy task, and the 'researchers,' more often than not, had to abuse him to do it.

Naruto considered himself lucky that Orochimaru found him too precious to 'spoil.' Naruto winced when he remembered his friend's beautiful face, beaten, and his body broken as they dragged him inside his cell. And it was Haku who reached out to him first. Naruto sighed, and twirled the saucy 'pasta' between his fork, very very glad that he had gotten out of there.

Everyone cleaned up silently; Ino doing the washing while Shikamaru slouched beside her with the drying towel. Everyone else dispersed, casting worried, or curious looks towards the pair that sat at the table like the other night, though with a much more sombre atmosphere.

Naruto finally stood up, his eyes following the ground as he left the room. Sasuke left soon too, lying in bed but not feeling an ounce of sleep. The raven looked around at the room, _twelve years,_ he thought, of researching the Kyuubi, and thinking of revenge for his slain clan. Then he thought about Naruto, who suffered for _twenty years_ before he even got a glimmer of freedom or hope.

He stood up and walked to the secret panelling, laying a hand on the cold steel. He sensed some shuffling from the other side, and then some sniffling. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and gritted his teeth; some part of him that he thought long dead was crying out for him to at least talk to the blond, while the other side, the avenger, whispering to him about how relationships were only weaknesses.

The small, dead part somehow won, when the sniffling turned to muffled sobs; echoes of his own childhood floated back to him. He sat down in a corner after he wrapped himself in a blanket, and he slid open a panel that was at eye level.

"Naruto." He said quietly, looking up at the teary blond before looking away, feeling extremely awkward. For one thing, he'd never ever comforted anyone before. Naruto wiped at his eyes furiously, his own blanket bunched around him as he sat in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing there?" Sasuke asked, staring at the blond-topped huddle.  
"K-Kakashi said this was a torture chamber and there were messages scrawled in blood that took forever to scrub off and now I'm scared the vengeful ghosts are after me." Naruto said in one breath, then ducked under the blankets.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and made a mental note to kill Kakashi later. "He was lying, dobe." And he felt strangely glad to see a spark of irritation in the blond's blue eyes. Naruto shuffled forward like some sort of cotton-and-wool tank, until he sat in the corner as well, turning his head slightly to look at Sasuke's blank face.  
"Ok, so I'm gullible, stop being so amused damnit, teme." Naruto grumbled, adjusting the blankets in a huff. Sasuke turned one eye to look at Naruto, wondering if his mask was flawed; he was sure it wasn't, but then how had the blond known he was smiling inside?

"Sooo..." Naruto dragged the word out, and Sasuke let his head fall back onto the steel wall. "How come the Fwlen couldn't enmor you or whatever?"  
"It's called enamour, a stronger form of glamour. Once you willingly take his hand he can make you believe that you love him, that you would do anything for him, and so on." Sasuke explained. Naruto looked thoughtful. "... And the first question?"  
Sasuke cursed the blond and his supposed-to-be-dead heart for making him even give a damn. "It's part of my blood. The Uchiha clan was special because mind tricks like enamour, glamour, or mind control didn't affect us. We all had special powers too, so it gave us an advantage over enemies who used illusions or tricks."

Naruto was silent for a while, before he said, very, very quietly and softly, "Why are you talking about your family in past tense?" It felt like a hammer to his chest. Sasuke hadn't expected the blond to pick it up; in fact, he hadn't even realized he was speaking in past tense. He blew a breath, and sighed; he'd come this far, it shouldn't hurt to 'reach out' to Naruto. "My brother, Itachi, killed them all when I was six." He said bluntly. Naruto's eyes widened.  
"And his power was illusion and combat. How screwed up is that? He was the first Uchiha, or maybe even person, to get a power that conflicted with his blood. Maybe that was what drove him insane. But what's worse, was that since mind powers didn't work on us, he must have killed them all with his own bare hands." Sasuke ran his hands through his hair, staring at the ground.

"That was what I thought, at least, until I hit puberty and my second power generated itself." He looked at Naruto again, and the blond shrunk back slightly; Sasuke's eyes were blood red, with spinning black comma-shaped tomoes in them. Sasuke blinked, and his obsidian eyes were back.  
"This," He tapped his eyes, "Forces the victim into their worst nightmares. It could be being torn to shreds, buried alive, chucked in a room full of monsters, you name it, and my 'Sharingan'" he said it half-pride and half-disgust, "Can conjure it up and drag you into it. And you will feel every ounce of pain and fear, even if your body isn't physically hurt, and so you can't die, either. It can literally force a mind into a never-ending coma of terror. My blood doesn't repel the power, possibly because it was developed from it." Naruto stared at him, terrified but fascinated at the same time.

"And that's it. He forced all my relatives into their worst nightmares until they bit their tongues screaming and drowned in their own blood or vomit, or they committed suicide before they lost their minds completely." Sasuke let out a cold, emotionless chuckle. "I watched my parents writhe and scream on the ground, before my father gained enough sense to push a kunai into my hand and beg me to kill them. So I did. I stabbed him in the heart and I stabbed my mother... in the womb. I pushed that knife through her and I got my hands covered in their blood."

Naruto reached out and opened the bottom panel, moving a hand slowly through the window and grabbed Sasuke's icy hands, squeezing them slightly. Sasuke flinched at first, and thought about recoiling, but gave a small squeeze with his fingers and let go, and continued his story, lost in his past. His emotionless monotone continued.

"My brother found me beside my dead parents, and he figured out what I'd done. He said he had to punish me for ruining his fun, and then he set me into my nightmare. I saw, felt, heard myself murdering my parents over and over and over while the stench of their blood drove me to the brink of insanity. He escaped the planet not soon after that.

"The authorities found me not a minute too soon. They managed to save me, but it took me a whole year to recuperate. By then I was sick of the entire world looking at me with pity, and the newspapers spreading lies about the orphan whose parents were murdered by my homicidal brother. They didn't know it was me that killed them.

"I left that world when Kakashi, Iruka and Shikamaru visited to drop off some cargo. They were still a small business back then, and I begged and pleaded my way onto the ship."

Sasuke stopped, and looked at Naruto, who gazed back at him, accepting his past with a nod. Naruto could see hatred and fury in Sasuke's eyes, so familiar with what his own eyes had once been like. It worried him, but he didn't say anything. An understanding passed between them, and they stayed silent until morning.

* * *

I hope I got Sasuke's character through properly. He's like a kid who was forced to grow up in the space of one night, and his E.Q. pretty much remained rather stunted (until our blond bundle literally dropped into his life). And he's convinced himself he doesn't need anyone. Naruto's the almost complete opposite. He's a bit of a kid, and he _needs_ contact. 

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	7. Stars Fall On

Yeah, I know… so slow. But I've (finally) come to the horrible realisation and acceptance that _fanfiction is ruining my life_. Not only am I procrastinating my life, my studies, my sleep, my eyesight is getting worse from staring at the screen all day too. So, I've had a semi-break. The new school year is starting too soon for my liking, and I'm going to be absolutely _swamped_ this year. Out of five subjects, three are all English ones… I'm a masochist, definitely.

Warnings: Yaoi (if you haven't figured this out by now…)

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, and no profit is being made.

* * *

The next morning found Naruto and Sasuke still huddled in their blankets and sleeping soundly, their heads leaning against each other's through the window. Sasuke woke up first, having always been a morning person. 

The Sharingan holder opened his eyes and winced in pain as a he tried to move his legs, which had fallen asleep during the night. He looked to his right, and saw Naruto's head tilted and drool dribbling down his mouth slightly. He snored gently, the rise and fall of his chest steady.

"Naruto." Sasuke reached a frozen hand over and shook the blond. To his shock, Naruto toppled over and his head smacked the ground.

"Ow!" Naruto yelled, awake and in pain. Naruto struggled to sit up, but when he did, the pins and needles in his legs made him yell even louder.

"Can't you be quiet for ten minutes!" Sasuke groaned over Naruto's surprisingly colourful swearing. The smaller boy didn't answer, and instead clutched at his legs.

Five minutes later the pins and needles receded, and both boys climbed to their feet, the joints in their bodies creaking. "I'm never sleeping on the floor again." Naruto grumbled, rubbing at his aching back.

"Hn." Sasuke agreed. They fought over the shower, but Sasuke won in the end.

Naruto muttered curses as he stood outside the bathroom door, shivering slightly. "Are you ready yet, yarou?" Naruto shouted through clenched teeth, his trembling, frozen fingers barely able to claw at an itch. The raven didn't deem to reply. "How long are you going to primp yourself in the mirror, pretty boy?" The door slammed open, and a rather irritated Sasuke stepped out, his hair in its usual style and slightly wet. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him and pushed past into the misty bathroom.

Naruto inspected his body in the mirror, and grimaced at the scars, which were fading quickly. His body healed fast, but the scars took longer because they weren't critical. He traced his finger along the spiral 'tattoo', wondering what it all meant and whether it actually had anything to do with what he was. Shrugging his shoulders and dismissing the thought, he hopped into the shower.

When he came out, he was astonished to find Sasuke leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and looking impatient. "You took longer than I did." Sasuke said, glaring at him.

"No one asked you to wait!" Naruto retorted, and they bickered like this down the hallway to the kitchen. "Seriously, why'd you wait?" Naruto asked as they passed by Kakashi and Iruka's room.

"Hn." Went Sasuke, shrugging.

"That's not an answer!"

"Who said I was going to give you one?" Sasuke replied, smug when Naruto turned red and started spluttering. The blond threw his hands up. "Fine!"

They arrived in front of the kitchen. The sounds of the chattering crew drifting to them. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who turned and was about to leave, when Naruto's hand shot out and grabbed Sasuke, and more or less bodily dragged the resisting boy in. Sasuke swiped at Naruto, who dodged at the last second and jumped away. "Eat your breakfast!" Naruto demanded.  
"No." Sasuke said stubbornly, and turned to leave, but a defiant Naruto blocked the doorway. _How...?_ Sasuke thought, but was interrupted.

"Maa, maa, just eat your breakfast. Some people are trying to sleep here." Shikamaru slurred groggily from his seat.

"Is it cos you stayed up _allll_ night?" Kiba teased, laughing wildly. He regretted it instantly, however, when Ino's frying pan descended on his head without mercy. The Canyne howled in agony but no one spared him any sympathy.

The blond and the brunet stared each other down, until Sasuke huffed and sat in his seat, glowering at a rack of toast until it nearly caught fire. Naruto grinned triumphantly, and plopped himself down opposite the sulking boy and ordered ramen again. Sasuke didn't like breakfast food, so he ordered the same. The two girls muttered darkly under their breaths as they prepared the starchy meal.

"Honestly, how can you eat this for breakfast twice?" Sakura demanded as she slammed the cup down in front of Naruto rather forcefully. She put Sasuke's down gently with an "Enjoy your meal, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto pouted at the (very) biased treatment, but didn't let it bother him. "Well, it's hard to get ramen at the facility, and it's not like they take orders, y'know? I only managed to taste this heaven when I escaped." Naruto said as he slurped at the noodles happily. Sasuke ate with much more grace and decorum, without spilling a drop or making a single noise. Naruto wrinkled his nose at the dainty eating, and chuckled to himself as he imagined Sasuke in a sissy dress. He choked on his noodles, however, and began coughing.

Ino rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back, dislodging the noodles and helping Naruto breathe again. "T-Thanks Ino." He said hoarsely, his voice rather strained and his eyes watering. Ino shook her head and grabbed a towel, wiping away the mess. While wiping, her bare hand came into contact with Naruto's. Her world went black, her eyes rolled into her head and she collapsed.

Shikamaru was there just in time, his hand supporting her head while his other arm caught her weight. He lifted her up with ease, as if she weighed nothing. Without speaking a word, he carried her through the kitchen and into the sick bay, where he placed her gently onto the bed and drew a chair up to sit beside her, clutching her pale hand.

The rest of the crew rushed in, careful to give her space. "I- is she okay?" Naruto asked tentatively, afraid to go closer. Shikamaru turned to look at him, but it wasn't accusatory.

"She'll be fine. Her ESP acted up again." He said, looking at his girlfriend of four years. "Her second power isn't very strong, it comes and goes with long periods of time in between. Usually it's brief, a second or two of images, and she regains consciousness. I haven't seen her this out of it in a long time."

"What does it do?" Naruto was worried; of the other specimens in the facility besides him and Haku, those with ESP suffered the most, their powers a massive strain on their mental health, especially with what the researchers put them through.

"It depends. Sometimes she travels in her spirit to where 'the powers that be' (here he smirked) want her. There was one time where she communicated with a ghost, but that usually happens on a planet, not in space, where there is nothing for a spirit to attach themselves onto. But mostly," Shikamaru's eyes narrowed and turned very calculating, "She sees the future or past of the person she touches." Naruto gulped, and nodded slowly.

A few minutes passed, while Sakura made her best friend comfortable and waited with Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke for the platinum blonde to wake up. Kakashi, Iruka and Kiba had asked for an update the minute she regained consciousness, and went to manage the ship. Seven minutes later, Ino woke up with a gasp; she shot up from the bed and turned to the side, where she retched into a bucket. Shikamaru held her hair back as she coughed, and tears ran down her face in a stream. Sobs wracked her body as she tried to hold herself steady.

Sakura gave her a glass of water, from which Ino rinsed her mouth and breathed easier, but her tears and the hiccups didn't stop. The pink haired girl tried to push her back onto the bed, but Ino shook her head and swung her legs over the cot, standing shakily onto her feet. In two steps, she had reached the seated Naruto, and she leaned down and gave him a tight hug, her chin resting on the crook of his neck. "I'm so, so sorry." She whispered, her voice trembling with a torrent of emotions. Naruto awkwardly put his arms around her and patted her back, slightly bewildered but guessed correctly what she had seen: his past.

He wondered how much she'd seen, however, but was glad she hadn't experienced the worst. Because if she had, she would probably never recover from it.

She let him go reluctantly and wiped away at her tears, still sniffling. Shikamaru came up behind her and gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. She turned and buried her face in his shirt, hugging him close. The engineer gave Naruto and Sasuke a nod before he escorted his girlfriend out of the sick bay and into their room, and went to inform the Captain of Ino's awakening.

Naruto looked at the ground and kicked at it with his foot, and wondered when the people around him would stop getting hurt because of him. First with Haku, the boy having once taken a punishment meant for him, then Sasuke, almost going head to head with a Fwlen, and now Ino, who had to see his terrible history, which he knew was something no one, let alone a girl, should have to see.

Sasuke stared hard at Naruto, and wanted to know just what Ino had seen of the boy's past. But he knew she would never tell him; being a Faer meant that secrets entrusted to them would never be spoken again, their race one of the most steadfast in the entire universe. He supposed that he could just ask the fidgeting blond, but now wasn't the right time. Frustrated that his curiosity couldn't be satisfied, he left the room and went to the training centre to work off some of his turbulent emotions, all of them centred on the strange boy he'd met not even four days ago.

Naruto looked up when Sasuke stalked out, and couldn't explain why he felt slightly hurt when the brunet hadn't said anything, and why he didn't want the boy to go.

XxX

It was around quarter-moon when Naruto, with nothing to do, tried to find Sasuke. But the ship was large, and he was unfamiliar with it, so he tried asking around. He managed to walk in on Kakashi and Iruka sharing a personal moment, and he blushed and stuttered an apology as he hastily slammed the door shut. Kiba said he didn't know or care where that anti-social prick was, and tried to draw Naruto into admiring pictures of his beloved dog and girlfriend. On his last resort, he knocked on Shikamaru and Ino's door, and from inside, a tired, feminine voice called out "Come in." Naruto walked inside and found Ino sitting up in bed, and Shikamaru besides her with a book on his lap, reading glasses perched on his nose. He had been reading to her.

"Um, I was wondering if you could find out where Sasuke-yarou is?" He asked, rubbing at his neck sheepishly. Ino smiled. "Sorry Naruto, his blood doesn't let my powers find him."

"Oh! That's right... gee, guess that lets him be as anti-social as he wants." Naruto muttered, and Ino giggled slightly.

"Erm... Sorry about before..." Naruto started awkwardly. Ino shook her head. "It's not your fault. If anything, it's mine. I should have warned you about what my powers do... I won't tell anyone of what I saw." She said, her eyes wide, telling the truth. Naruto nodded, his voice thick, and very grateful.

"Shika?" She turned towards Shikamaru, who smiled at her. "He should be in the training room." He told Naruto, who thanked him profusely, then left the room. He came back a second later to ask where the training room actually was. Shikamaru face-palmed while Ino laughed, and gave Naruto detailed directions.

Naruto followed Shikamaru's instructions, and arrived in front of a large steel wall, with a panel beside it that displayed 'Room Occupied.' Naruto opened the door anyway, and stepped in to find a huge room, full of equipment. They were simple ones, like treadmills and punching bags, and they had also seen better days. Their assailant was currently in the middle of the gym, Bo stick in hand as he whacked the living daylights out of a dummy.

Sasuke held the cudgel with expert ease, the ends coming down with precision on the dummy, who looked like - Naruto gulped - a Quilong snake, hitting all of its vital spots with maybe a bit too much force. Sasuke abandoned the stick when it began to splinter, and instead went into hand-to-hand combat. He launched a flurry of lightning fast attacks on the very beaten punching doll, the hard stuffing exploding out of ripped seams with each and every devastating blow Sasuke delivered with extreme prejudice.

Naruto watched in morbid fascination as Sasuke demolished and mutilated the dummy until it became almost unrecognisable. Finally, Sasuke stopped, and wiped away the sweat on his brow with his hand, panting hard. He was soaked in perspiration, the shirt clinging to him despite the air conditioner pumping cool air into the room.

"Are you just going to stand there gawking?" Sasuke said suddenly, his head turning sharply to look at Naruto directly. The blond almost took a step back when he saw the spinning crimson of his eyes, but again, Sasuke blinked and they were gone."J-Just watching." Naruto cursed the stutter. He cleared his throat and went to sit on one of the rubber roller balls, balancing himself on top of it perfectly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Naruto just noticed - there were at least fifty other destroyed dummies, in various shapes of Quilong snakes, and dark haired Fwlens. The smaller boy felt the hairs on the back of his neck and arm stand up, and a chill crawl up his spine. Swallowing hard, his mouth suddenly dry, he looked at Sasuke, who looked straight back at him, his eyes unblinking and incalculable. Not wanting to open _that _particular can of worms, Naruto didn't say anything either.

The Uchiha didn't say a word, and instead aimed a ferocious kick at the dummy, sending it smashing with a sickening crunch against the wall. He went to the control panel of the room and punched in the order for another dummy to be made. In the meantime, he went to the medicine cabinet and got out a roll of bandages. The ones on his hand were bloody and torn, the skin underneath red and raw. Naruto winced, as Sasuke peeled off the gauze with a bored expression on his face, not making a single sound when the fabric clung to the broken skin. The teen replaced the bandages, and threw away the old ones, just as the machine had whirred to a stop and a perfect replica of a man was made.

It had long black hair tied in a low ponytail, its face frozen in a mask of apathy with strange lines underneath the eyes. The fake man stood tall, well muscled and clothed in a black shirt and pants. He looked slightly like Sasuke... Naruto almost fell off his ball when he realised that this must be Itachi, Sasuke's brother. Naruto's eyes widened when the dummy _moved_ and shifted into a defensive stance. The blond watched in stupefied silence, his mouth hanging open as Sasuke went on the offensive with a startling cry.

The battle raged on, with the two 'brothers' going against each other. Sometimes the computer-controlled doll went on the offensive, but mostly it was forced to defend itself. Sasuke was almost fevered in his attacks, each punch and kick delivered with vengeance and fury. Soon, the dummy 'died' and stopped working, but Sasuke continued beating it, apparently lost in some sick fantasy. Naruto hopped off the ball and ran to Sasuke when he saw the raven's fists bleeding freely.

"Stop it!" The blond cried, dodging the punches Sasuke threw blindly. He tackled the brunet, and they both crashed to the ground. Naruto jarred his shoulder but he ignored the pain. Sasuke gasped for breath, his face wet, with tears or sweat, Naruto wasn't sure, and didn't dare to ask. The two lay on the ground, Sasuke's chest heaving, while Naruto was pinned under him, not really knowing what to do. Naruto thought about pushing Sasuke off, but the taller boy seemed to be trembling, and the blond felt a pang of sympathy. Sasuke's soft raven locks brushed against his neck, tickling him. A strange tingling coursed through Naruto's body and his breath hitched slightly.

Finally, Sasuke climbed off him with a mumbled "Sorry," and sat with one knee to his chest and his hand covering his face, wiping the sweat-tears away subtly.

Naruto stayed on the floor, gazing up at Sasuke, his feelings in chaos and he didn't know what to think of the mercurial teen anymore.

* * *

Dun! More insight. And a certain white-eyed fatalistic noble joins our fray next chapter. 

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